There is a lot that can be done in 10 minutes to improve your life, your day or your week. In the busyness of everyday life it is easy to neglect the idea that 10 minutes can make a huge difference in personal or professional productivity.

Planning is perhaps the most important activity to complete as it helps you determine what is important and what isn’t important to work on. The plans would allow you to create blocks of time in the day to complete important work, focused work, or a single activity where you put your best attention.

What things can you do in 10 minutes? If you have things you haven’t started on use the 10 minute test and just do 10 minutes of an activity and see how far you get.

“The majority of people don’t want to plan. They want to be free of the responsibility of planning. What they ask for is merely some assurance that they will be decently provided for. The rest is a day-to-day enjoyment of life.”

B.F. Skinner

One thing that I find that is pretty consistent is that people with plans experience better results and enjoy greater happiness.

A simple plan written down will create space to achieve results. Set your day up for success. Write down the goals you want to achieve and then schedule those goals. Block out time for those specific important activities.

When the time comes to start the task, turn off the phone, turn off the email, turn off the distractions and focus on achieving the goal. What happens if you don’t turn off the distractions, those distractions will interrupt your ability to get the results you want. Focus on the goal.

Having a plan and following the plan will help you realize uncommon success. Confidence increases when goals are achieved. Plan your day so you can get better results.

“I have a subconscious list of rules for how reality should work. I did not develop these rules on purpose, and most of them don’t make sense – which is disturbing when you consider that they are an attempt to govern the behavior of reality – but they exist, and they play a large role in determining how I react to the things that happen to me. Large enough that a majority of the feelings I feel are simply a reaction to reality not complying with my arbitrary set of rules. ”
― Allie Brosh

Think about the rules you have in your life. You have rules for everything. Your life is about rules, like stopping at a train crossing or stopping at a stop sign.

If you are thinking I don’t live by rules then just look at your habits. You do have habits, things you do, things you say, the way you approach a problem or the way you tackle each day. You do have habits and some work for you and some don’t.

Habits are rules that we use to reduce the amount of thinking we have to do. Habits are programs that run in the background of your consciousness and some work well and some don’t. If you find yourself doing things that don’t produce great results for you then you might want to change some of the rules you operate by.

Sometimes the issue is trying to find the rules that you want to change so that you can change them. Some habits/rules are so embedded in our daily life that we aren’t even aware of them. Becoming aware of those “hidden” rules is the first step to creating positive change. What rules are running your life the way you don’t want them to? What would you like to change?

“Over the years, I have come to realize that the greatest trap in our life is not success, popularity, or power, but self-rejection. Success, popularity, and power can indeed present a great temptation, but their seductive quality often comes from the way they are part of the much larger temptation to self-rejection. When we have come to believe in the voices that call us worthless and unlovable, then success, popularity, and power are easily perceived as attractive solutions. The real trap, however, is self-rejection. As soon as someone accuses me or criticizes me, as soon as I am rejected, left alone, or abandoned, I find myself thinking, “Well, that proves once again that I am a nobody.” … [My dark side says,] I am no good… I deserve to be pushed aside, forgotten, rejected, and abandoned.” Henri J.M. Nouwen

The answer is “No!” and you’ve heard this several times in the past week and you believe that it isn’t the question, it is you that is being turned down. “No” can feel like rejection if it is heard enough times. Is that true? Is it true that a response to your request that is not favorable to you is a rejection of you?

Often people find that when there request is denied that it feels like they are being rejected. The wonderful idea that was rejected was a compilation of many hours of work, and how dare someone say “No” to the idea, project or design. It just can’t be right, turns into I am not right. What is rejection? Is it saying “No” or is it saying something else?

There are many people who fail to achieve their best because they feel they will be rejected. So instead of living fully, they live a life or regret.

Wouldn’t it be better to find out if you could create the life of your dreams? Wouldn’t it feel better to try and see what could be done?

“One person can make a difference, and everyone should try.”

There is a school there that is being run by Herbert Tushabe and Rachael Nsimenta in a rural part of Uganda and they are on a mission to help the children in this area thrive.

Here is their story in their words:

Racheal and I , undertook a decision to tackle this challenge in July 2012 With a few tools and resources that were available, we started Zion with an emphasis to bring long-lasting measurable social change to an urgent social need for the people in and around Rwobuyenje Kakiika -Kashari.

Due to lack of affordable and accessible early learning and childhood development Centers and the demand around its neighborhood (more than 800 children between age 3 and 6) don’t access early childhood learning (KG education) because the cost of doing this is so high not mentioning the transportation of these kids to and from the available schools in town which costs so much that the poor peasantry parents in this area can’t afford and hence the vulnerability of this young rural children in this area, so they wait to join directly to primary school at age 9 or 10.

After witnessing the adversities that children in these villages encountered, even when those parents that struggled to do so would use motorcycles to ferry

toddlers to school very early in the morning (6 or 7 -3 year olds) on one motorcycle very early in the morning ,that cold…I was moved. Inspiration struck through the startup of this facility so that these services can be availed to these people so accessible and affordable.

Nearly after 3 years of involvement, our dedication grew, and has manifested itself into the a Community Based center -Zion Kids Palace. Four teachers,Racheal Nsimenta, and Mr Tushabe Herbert are now running a full early learning center with 100 kids ,providing them a full KG program with lunch and breakfast.

The philosophy, teach man how to fish, and feed him for a lifetime’ fueled Racheal and I to found Zion. That philosophy still drives our mission to enhance and lift quality of education during early learning stages at the Grass-root. Our desire is that these children will grow active and creative minds, develop a passion for others, and have the courage to act on their beliefs.We focus on the total development of each child’s spiritual, moral, intellectual, social, and physical growth via a faith-based perspective.

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What do they need? They need funds to expand the program, to build a school and provide safe transportation for the kids along with materials such as books and toys to improve the outcomes of the school.

Here’s what you can do. You can donate to the program. You can tell others, you can pass this link on to others. One dollar will make a difference. Give a dollar and pass the message to 10 other people. Let Herbert and Rachael change the world for the kids they serve. Will you do that today?

You can play a small part and make a difference that will last a lifetime.

Thank-you! Please send the link to fund the project to those you know.

“All of us are in the manufacturing industry – manufacturing either our own happiness or unhappiness.”
― Ogwo David Emenike

Does your life feel like it is spinning out of control? Does it seem more like a demolition derby than the life you were hoping to live? Does it feel like others are charging into you to stop all movement in your life?

For many people life is out of control. Time is going by to swiftly. The sound of disappointment only screams louder. The cries,”When will things get better?”, echo in your mind. Other people tug at your for attention. Friends and family aren’t doing things that please you and you just want them to stop ruining your life.

The carousel spins out of control and all you can do is hold on tighter and think this isn’t how life should be. When things appear to be out of control or before they get that far, stop and ask yourself “What is it that you really want?” Take some time to evaluate what it is that you really want. Many people are getting off the carousel and designing a lifestyle that works for them. That may mean giving up some of the material items in their life and living in a simpler way. High paying jobs often come with a lot of stress. Living from paycheck to paycheck often creates a lot of stress. In the end it boils down to the choices that are being made. What choices are you making and are they leading you to the life you want to live?

“When faced with two equally tough choices, most people choose the third choice: to not choose. ”
― Jarod Kintz

What stops more people from achieving their desired results than anything else? It is the inability to make a choice. People make choices all of the time but when asked what they want from life, they hesitate. Maybe you do as well. What do you really want? Living the life you really want comes down to making choices.

One of the more popular questions I get asked is “How do I make a decision?” And maybe it isn’t how to make a decision it is how to commit to that decision once it is made. Decisions often require some level of risk. To do one thing I give up something else, or do I?

The challenging part of making a decision is living with the decision that is made. The second guessing of the decision or the fact that there was a cost to the decision in the first place leaves many wondering if it was the right choice. Be prepared to commit to the decision whatever it is before you make the decision. Believe that your decision is correct and set your expectations accordingly.

What decisions do you want to make? How will you make them? How long will it take to make the decision? What will it take to commit to that decision?

Listen to a commencement speech by Jeff Bezos (Amazon.com founder) and answer the questions. What do you want your answers to be?